The Brochure Design Process

Set Your Goals
The process usually starts out by determining what do you want to achieve in this communication, what message do you want to get across, and who is your target audience? It's a good idea to get all the key players involved in the process from the beginning of the brochure.

"I believe a good way to start the brochure design process is to have a brainstorming session or think tank to determine what your goals are."
- Aaron Ellisor, President, The Marion Group

If you can't seem to get off first base in the process, a good writer and creative team can help you get started in the process. Just make a list of your goals. What are the benefits of doing business with your company? What are your products? What makes your companies' services, products, strategies unique and different from your competition?

Also start thinking about your viewing audience. Who will be looking and reading this information? What styles of writing and design will actually interest them?

Developing the Text
After the outline is created, and you've basically listed your goals, it's time to write the copy for the brochure. A huge trap in this process is for the team to start thinking about what the brochure needs to look like and what images or visuals should be included. This is the time to show a little discipline and believe in the process. You want to write a powerful story about your firm that will be compelling, honest and concise. This is not the time to throw in all the details, it's time to determine the highlights of the information needed.

"My basic philosophy about text for a brochure is that you do not want to write volumes of information! Keep it simple and to the point."
- Aaron Ellisor, President, The Marion Group

A brochure is typically created to help brand your company, showing benefits and features of your firm. And if the text is created with a marketing purpose, it should invoke a response from your reader. After the copy is developed, it should make you want to call your firm for more information. A brochure should help you create a warm lead.

Brochure Graphic Design - The Mockup
After the writing process, and everyone has agreed that the copy actually captures the essence of the firm, then the graphic design phase begins.

"Just to reinforce my belief, if you start out with weak copy, you will probably end up with a weak brochure. Even graphics can't save bad copywriting."

- Aaron Ellisor, President, Marion

From this mockup, you will see the design taking shape and the design should simply enhance the powerful written word on the page. Headings of the text should pop out at you and make you want to read the information. The images should depict the quality and professionalism of your firm.

"Yes, it's true, we sometimes still use pencils and paper when we design!!!. Sometimes the concept is complex and involves models in specific situations for which photography is needed. Sometimes, it is just more economical than doing an electronic rendering."

- Aaron Ellisor, President, The Marion Group.

It's now time to gather images that are pertinent to the text. It may be time for another brainstorming session with your team. Look at the images you have, and also consider images of new products or services that you will need to photograph or illustrate. If you have no images, and no ideas, then let your designer create the ideas for you. Let the process begin.

Your design team, creative director, and artist will create renderings for you. The mockup can be created in several ways. It can be computer generated, or it can be created freehand.

Marion worked with the UTC Project team to write and design their first corporate capabilities brochure. The reader can learn all about UTC Project by reading all the text or just by looking at the images and reading the captions. It also has a pocket in the back for inserts! If you need to move something REALLY BIG, give UTC Project a call. Otherwise have a peak at their brochure design and if like what you see for your own needs, give Marion a call. View UTC Brochure.

Printing Your Brochure
Once everyone has reviewed the proofs, it's time for the press. Let your professionals press check your job, and you will be happy when you get the boxes of your brochures in your office. And remember, those brochures do not need to be stuck in a closet somewhere, because they will do you no good there. Make plans before you start your brochure adventure about how you will distribute them to your potential clients.

The Pocket Brochure

A popular brochure option is to consider a pocket folder brochure. This piece will have a pocket in the back that will allow you to include inserts such as proposals or product specific literature. We believe our designs will inspire you.

Complete the form below and a Marion Account Representative will contact you about your brochure design and printing needs.

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Brochure Graphic Design - Final Rendering
After the design phase is complete, and we have buy in from the team that we're on track, the production phase then begins. Typically it will include photography, stock photography, illustrations, and graphs. The quality of this production should always reflect the quality of your company. In other words, this is not the time to skimp on the budget to create the images for the brochure.

After the production is complete and you are beginning to see final composites of your brochure, it's now time to proof this piece. Read this brochure forward and backwards. Don't leave this job up to anyone else. Everyone needs to be part of this process. You've come way to far to have a typo or mistake compromise your new communication piece.